The Eagles aren't the best NFC East team on paper. Jackson missed the majority of the 2020 season with a lingering knee injury, but he profiled as one of the most promising young cornerbacks in the league before last year, fresh off a career-high 82.5 coverage grade in 2019. However, he was overly aggressive at times and susceptible to giving up the big play. Marcus Peters, Baltimore Ravens Those missed opportunities only make the 77.5 passer rating allowed over that span (13th in the NFL) more impressive. Moehrig allowed a big play on 20.3% of his targets in 2020, giving them up at the sixth-fewest rate of all Power 5 safeties with at least 25 targets. His technical inconsistencies are the only thing keeping him from being among that next tier up. Butler had arguably his best season in coverage since his New England days last year with Tennessee. He gets to passes that most receivers cannot get to, making his multiple near-INTs in 2021 as impressive as his 7 actual interceptions. NAME GP TKL AST COMB SCK SCKY INT INT YDS INT TD FF FR FR TD; Tom Farris: 11: 4: 43: 0: 1: 0: Steve Filipowicz Changing that and successfully developing Okudah and Melifonwu will be crucial to this secondary climbing out of the cellar. Brian Poole, New York Jets. Buffalos secondary endured a crushing blow in Week 12 when CB1. 4) New England Patriots: Stephon Gilmore & J.C. Jackson. Darious Williams, Los Angeles Rams Still, they held up well, ranking sixth in coverage grade and second in EPA per pass play allowed on such plays. Only three Power 5 defenders gave up fewer. He earned a 47.4 coverage grade for the regular season while also allowing a 125.0 passer rating when targeted and being called for 10 penalties. Marshon Lattimore struggled a bit relative to expectations in 2020, but hes back with a vengeance in 2021. If you built a cornerback in a lab, they would look like Ramsey. Even with the big plays allowed early in the season, quarterbacks have just a 68.1 rating when targeting Lattimore this season. Both players were among the 15 most valuable players at their respective positions, according to PFF WAR. Hes going up against each teams best receiver, shadowing them around the field. He returns to the field in 2022, a huge boost . Ranking the 11 worst plays of the 2021 NFL regular season. The Broncos' secondary underwhelmed to a certain extent in 2021, with veteran safety Kareem Jackson and cornerback free agent pickups Kyle Fuller and Ronald Darby all producing poor coverage grades below 60.0. Unfortunately for Detroit, one of those corners is now on their roster. The two worst cornerbacks in the league were forced into action because of injuries. Casey Hayward, Las Vegas Raiders Green allowed only six receptions for 70 yards on 22 targets while breaking up five and picking off one. On the other hand, safety Justin Simmons sustained his high-level play by finishing as one of the 10 most valuable players at the position. Nickel corner Sean Murphy-Bunting also did a decent job at preventing big plays, conceding eight on 44 targets on the inside. So, which secondaries were a boon and which were a hindrance this season? A.J. NFL teams most likely to unravel in 2021. As a result, Diggs' coverage grade rang in just above the 50th percentile among cornerbacks. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. Eventually, Washington took it. 2021 NFL Defensive Secondary Rankings, by Unit 32. Opposing quarterbacks netted a 71.8 passer rating when throwing at one of Clevelands outside cornerbacks this season, the lowest among the 32 defenses. Houston Texans: Whitney Mercilus, OLB. 27. Personally, I want a guy who travels up and down the field on an assignment basis against the opposing teams best receivers. Houston might want to think about using its No. Jackson hasnt quite reached those lofty heights in the three years since, but he is coming off his best statistical season since 2017, with just 52% of the passes into his coverage being completed in 2020. Waynes three-year, $42 million contract was likely an overpay, but he does profile as a quality starting option. Design by Matt Sisneros. 32. Nov 15, 2020; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston (2) celebrates after a touchdown by running back Alvin Kamara . The Rams opted to let 2021's slot cornerback Darious Williams leave via free agency, replacing him by bringing back Troy Hill in free agency. Top 32 cornerbacks in the NFL for the 2021 season | 1-10. Hill had his best seasons in LA . His 3,546 regular-season defensive snaps over the past four seasons are a top-10 mark at the position. Above-average press man cornerback with NFL bloodlines and a well-rounded but not spectacular all-around game. What Diggs is doing through six games is absurd. Xavien Howard picked an opportune time to hold out for a new contract.. Las Vegas Raiders . He recorded coverage grades of at least 72.0 in each of his first three seasons in the league and has allowed just 51.4% of the passes thrown into his coverage to be completed. Ramsey has been one of the best cornerbacks in the league since Jacksonville drafted him fifth overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. However, in White, the Bills have a shutdown corner who can lift the play of those around him. He should once again be put in a position to succeed under Fangio next season. After an offseason in which Arizona did little to address the cornerback position, the onus may again be on that pair to elevate those around them, unless Butler and Alford unexpectedly recapture their form of old. Quarterback Josh Allen, cornerback Tre'Davious White, wide receiver . The cornerback room was more in the middle of the pack, ranking 16th in PFF WAR generated. Lavonte David 6943. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. The amount of top-level play from NFL cornerbacks is astonishing. Marshon Lattimore was the highlight of a Saints secondary that ranked seventh in coverage grade and allowed an open target at the third-lowest rate in the league. Defensive rookies. The Raiders defensive backs rank seventh for aggregate coverage, rating 10% better than the average. The NFL in 2014 settled a class action lawsuit with retired . NFC West teams gained even more firepower at the quarterback position in a dramatic offseason, magnifying the issues for a Seattle secondary that is a long way from the Legion of Boom. 2021 stats: 11 games (11 starts), 1 INT, 6 PBUs, 1 FF, 1 FR, 0.5 sacks, 41 combined tackles (27 solo). Byron Murphy, Arizona Cardinals12. Haden may be on the downward slope of his career, but he has provided Pittsburgh with steady play at cornerback since joining the team in 2018 and should continue to do so in 2021. After a 3-0 start to the 2021 season, the Carolina Panthers were figured out on both sides of the ball. He finished with four picks, made the PFWA All-Rookie Team and was PFF's 41st-graded corner in 2021, just behind Colts Pro Bowler Kenny Moore. We considered putting Humphrey atop the list of the best slot cornerbacks in the NFL, given that he has spent the majority of his snaps lined up in the slot over the past two seasons filling the void left by an injured Tavon Young. He does the razzle dazzle better than any quarterback, but he . Return to Top; Players. Going into the 2021 season, there are several teams that stand out as best prepared to do that with the talent they possess in the defensive backfield. Arnettes average of 11.69 suggests he has further to go, and he may face competition with Hayward for the starting role across from Mullen. This is the worst front seven in the NFL. Hell still give up a big play here and there (as his yards per reception allowed shows), but thats the nature of being an aggressive cornerback. Witherspoon allowed a burn on half of his 28 targets last season. Hes one of the few thatll travel anywhere on the defense to cover an offenses best weapon. Its too early to say Gilmore cant get back to that level, though. Safeties Kevin Byard and Amani Hooker both finished the regular season as top-five-graded players at the position. The perception of Rhodes is much different this offseason than it was at this time a year ago following a bounceback season for the Colts in 2020. CORNERBACK PROSPECT RANKING 2023 NFL DRAFT. The Buccaneers game in Week 5 was the culmination of bad luck early in the season, and it resulted in Howard allowing a season-high 89 yards in coverage. Jun 5, 2021 5:19 PM EDT. Bradberry's 2021 season, though, was abysmal. His goal is not to make it so a quarterback doesnt want to throw the ball his way. James Bradberry, New York Giants, 21. a 2016 second-round pick has been the worst safety in the NFL this year. That's when deals are officially negotiated and reported signings fly across . His 75.8 coverage grade in 2020 ranked 15th among all qualifying cornerbacks across the league, and he was called for just two penalties all year. Free safety Bobby McCain also played a role in the Football Team not being in the bottom tier, snagging four interceptions and breaking up five passes en route to a 72.6 coverage grade. The Packers signed veteran Rasul Douglas midseason, and he far surpassed expectations with a 76.5 coverage grade. In 2021, the two 25-year-olds each missed several games but allowed under 700 yards in coverage combined. Ramsey produced the highest coverage grade and most PFF WAR among all cornerbacks in the regular season. Safety Jayron Kearse was the highest-graded defensive back on the roster, due in large part to his strong tackling. The 2023 corner class doesn't hold any superstars like last year's Sauce Gardner but it still has a number of quality pro prospects with five having close to first-round grades on them. 11. However, his return came at outside cornerback for the Football Team in 2020, where he put up impressive coverage numbers at his new position. He gets to passes that most receivers cannot get to, making his multiple near-INTs in 2021 as impressive as his 7 actual interceptions. This season, the division is up for grabs yet again. The official start of NFL free agency doesn't begin until March 13. 25. Ward and Newsome, in particular, produced top-10 coverage grades when in single coverage. No group of cornerbacks played more man coverage than the Miami Dolphins. The result was a season where Alexander was worth 1.4 wins above a replacement-level player, almost a full half-win more than any other cornerback. Thats a tip of the cap to everyone in the secondary for stepping up, including 2020 seventh-rounder, Tampa Bay dealt with a pile of injuries and COVID-19 in their cornerback room for most of the season, forcing the team to cycle through players. Rashad Fenton also saw his playing time increase after the first month of the season and closed out the regular season with an 81.1 coverage grade. worst 2021 cornerback 2021. worst 2021 cornerback 2021. Overall, Philadelphia's cornerback room finished second in coverage grade this season. The presence of Breeland, who is expected to compete with Dantzler for a starting job, and Peterson gives the Vikings strong depth at corner and should mitigate the potential loss of 2020 first-round pick Jeff Gladney, whose future is in doubt amid off-field troubles. Heck, he played more snaps in the slot in 2020 than he did on the outside! No, he was targeted often because of who was on the opposite side, and his ball skills shined in the process, recording 10 INTs in 2020. In a pass-heavy league, the cornerback position has grown into one of the most important positions on the football field. 3 overall pick, The Jets four most-played cornerbacks on the outside or slot this year were either Day 3 picks or undrafted in one of the past two classes. He wasnt alone out there, either safety Marcus Williams also helped anchor the group with an 84.3 coverage grade that ranked seventh at the position. There is no shortage of defensive weapons on Clevelands roster. Terrell. Its impossible to discuss what Peters brings to the table and not start with his knack for getting his hands on the football, as his 31 interceptions since entering the league in 2015 are nine more than any other cornerback. So this is one of the worst cornerback trios in the NFL, not just the NFC West. 14. Adoree Jackson, New York Giants Were taking a look at the best and worst units in football at each positional grouping. He had one of the highest forced incompletion rates in the league this past year with Washington one of several contributing factors to the multi-year deal that Denver offered him. With more than 20 pending free agents, the front office will have a lot of work to do. Kendall Fuller was one of the three most valuable cornerbacks of the 2021 season and helped a great deal in Washington ranking even this high. And we mustnt forget about the impact of rookie safety Jevon Holland. Nelson was another surprise release by a team strapped for salary cap space. Detroits secondary has been problematic over the past few years, and it didnt get any better in Year 1 under Dan Campbell. 3 overall pick on a defensive back like Derek Stingley Jr. (PFFs No. 23. No cornerback in the league has been more productive on passes 20 or more yards downfield over that span. Greg Newsome, Cleveland Browns, 26. Despite that, the Buccaneers outside cornerbacks still combined for the highest unit coverage grade in the NFL. Some cornerbacks are tasked with shutting down their side of the field in zone, while other top cornerbacks are given the unenviable job of following the opposing teams No. 19. We're ranking the division by position group. Rookie Patrick Surtain II also showed a lot of promise and looks like a star in the making. None of their cornerbacks had a quality campaign, but Bashaud Breeland who was waived in mid-December was the main reason for the outside struggles. 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